A method and a device for controlling a gas charge of a plurality of cylinders in an internal combustion engine having a variable valve control, in which a detection signal of a charge sensor is sampled using a sampling rate, are described in German Patent No. DE 10064651 A1. Furthermore, a detection interval is determined for a cylinder. Within this detection interval, the sampling values are added up to ascertain a sampling value sum. Furthermore, a number of sampling values, which are within the first detection interval, is counted for ascertaining a first count value. The air mass filled into the first cylinder is then ascertained by forming a quotient from the sampling value sum and the count value. When the ratio between the intake manifold pressure and the ambient pressure is greater than 0.8, gas charge deviations between the cylinders are preferably detected using a hot film air mass sensor. When the throttling is increased, i.e., when the ratio between the intake manifold pressure and the ambient pressure is smaller than 0.8, then the detection signal of the intake manifold pressure sensor is preferably to be used for detecting gas charge deviations between cylinders.